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HOW TO KEEP OFFICE COLDS AND FLU

OUT OF YOUR INBOX

From lost wages to lost sleep, when a cold or flu strikes, it can interrupt every part of your work life. Luckily, there are some simple, yet highly effective ways to reduce your risk of exposure. Here are four things to consider as you fight off cold and flu season in the office.

 

  1. 1. Consider getting the flu shot.1
    2. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single best way to prevent getting the flu is to get a flu shot each year. Talk to your doctor to find out whether the flu shot is appropriate for you.

    Keep in mind, taking antibiotics does not prevent or treat colds and flu because they are caused by viruses.2,3 Antibiotics are prescription medicines that work by killing bacteria, not viruses.

  2. 2. Keep good cold and flu season hygiene.1,4,5
    3. Wash your hands.1,4 You have likely read this over and over, but that’s because you should be doing it over and over. Washing your hands frequently is one of the most important ways to reduce the risk of picking up a cold or flu virus or spreading it to others. When soap and water are not available, the CDC suggests using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

    Cover your cough or sneeze.4,5 Covering your mouth with your hands when you cough or sneeze only ends up spreading the virus. Instead, try one of these techniques:
    • Cover your mouth using a disposable tissue when you sneeze.
    • Sneeze or cough into the crook of your arm, or if no other place, into your sleeve.
    • If you have no better options, direct your cough or sneeze away from people in your vicinity.

  3. 3. Disinfect surfaces.6,7
    4. Wiping down shared surfaces, such as computer keyboards, phones, meeting room door handles, staircase railings, or break area microwaves with alcohol-based antibacterial wipes can kill cold and flu germs.

  4. 4. Consider staying home.1
    5. While sick, limit contact with others as much as possible to keep from infecting them. This includes people on the train/subway during your commute to work or your coworkers in the cubicles around you. Consider staying home if your workplace situation and policies allow. As dedicated to the job as you are, your coworkers will thank you for staying home until you are not contagious… they may even return the favor someday!

1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal Influenza (Flu)—Stopping the Spread of Germs at Home, Work & School. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/stopgerms.htm. Accessed 12 January 2012.
2
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Common Cold. Available at: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/commonCold/Pages/treatment.aspx. Accessed 12 January 2012.
3
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Feature: Antibiotics Aren't Always the Answer. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/GetSmart/. Accessed 12 January 2012.
4
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal Influenza (Flu)—Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm. Accessed 12 January 2012.
5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal Influenza (Flu)—Cover Your Cough. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm. Accessed 12 January 2012.
6
National Institutes of Health (NIH). Common Cold. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000678.htm. Accessed 12 January 2012.
7
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Seasonal Influenza (Flu)—How to Clean and Disinfect Schools to Help Slow the Spread of Flu. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/cleaning.htm. Accessed 12 January 2012.